Random BSODs caused by hal.dll

[bjornljs]

Hello SevenForums.

I've been experiencing repeated, but random, BSODs lately. Sometimes while gaming, sometimes while browsing. They started out a few months ago and I haven't been changing any hardware.
Some drivers have been updated, but nothing out of the ordinary that I can think of.

Attached to this post is my SF Diagonostics Minidump-file (bjornljs.zip).

Theory: I figure it's a hardware issue and it seems to be caused by hal.dll. Other than that, I'm clueless.

Edit: I'm editing some information into this post from later posts. More info in later posts (see below)

Tests:
I ran a Prime95 CPU stress-test overnight (about 8h) and it came out just fine. 0 errors, 0 alerts.
I ran a quick memtest86+ as well (2 hours) and it didn't show any errors. I'll run a proper (7+ hours) as soon as possible.

PSU
My current PSU is a Corsair 620 HX Modular Power Supply. I think it's about 3-4 years old.
I have an older PSU at ~500W in a storage room, can dig it up if required.
(Power Supply Calculator) recommends at least 464W.

I've also had a look at all the cables and capacitors. Overall they seem fine.

My CPU is idling around 30°C and never goes above 60°C during full load (Prime95).

My current rig:
MB: ASUS P8Z68-V Pro/Gen3
CPU: Intel i5-2500K 3,3 Ghz
RAM: 2x Corsair Dominator Vengeance 1600 Mhz Cl9
GPU: GIGABYTE Radeon HD 7870 2GB GDDR5
SSD: Intel® SSD 520 Series 120GB 2.5"
HDD: Western Digital Caviar® Green 2TB
PSU: Corsair 620W HX Modular.

OS is installed on the SSD. Program, documents etc on the HDD (Western Digital).

Thank you in advance!

 

[YoYo155]

Welcome to SF bjornljs, please follow the http://www.sevenforums.com/bsod-help-support/96879-blue-screen-death-bsod-posting-instructions.html .

A "stop 0x124" is fundamentally different to many other types of bluescreens because it stems from a hardware complaint. Stop 0x124 minidumps contain very little practical information, and it is therefore necessary to approach the problem as a case of hardware in an unknown state of distress. - H2SO4

The generic nature of the 0x124 (Arg1=0) stop code means we would have to take
the trail & error approach.

Do you have any spare parts (or another PC) to test with?
The usual suspect of this kind of BCCode is the CPU but it's often not the the case which is why we need
to test other components to rule them out as the cause.
How old are your components?


What is the make, model and age of your PSU?
Fill out this form and post back the result:

• Power Supply Calculator

Good practice, open up the case and re-seat all types of connection.

• SATA Cables (HDD/SSD/ODD).
• SATA-Power.
• Motherboard 24-pin.
• Motherboard 4/8-pin (CPU).
• Re-seat the RAM.
• Re-seat the GPU.

Make sure that every slot / cable head is free of dust or other obstruction.
Make sure that every connection is seating properly and firmly in-place.

Also have a look at the motherboard and the GPU, search for any "bad caps", bulky, leaking bloated capacitors.

i.e




:ar: Test for thermals and stability:

• Download HWinfo and post a Screenshot of the sensors window, one at idle and another while putting load on the PC using Prime95 for the CPU side and Furmark for the GPU.
  • Before running Prime95 make sure to enable Round-off checking (see 1st post under the tutorial).
     Note

  It is not mandatory to run both tests simultaneously, although possible as long as the temperatures are under constant monitoring.

:ar: Reset the BIOS back to default:

• CLR CMOS

   Note

Write down the current value of the SATA Mode!
Its either AHCI or IDE.
After resetting the CMOS go back and verify the value for SATA Mode is what it was
when the OS was installed.

If any component is overclocked reset it back to stock speeds!

​

Good places to read more:

• Stop 0x124 - what it means and what to try
• Stop 0x124 Troubleshooting - 'New Method'

 

[bjornljs]

Dear Yoyo155,

My appologies regarding the post instructions.
I'll have a proper look at them in the morning and edit my post accordingly.

It's past midnight over here so I'll have a look at your first line of instructions tomorrow morning as well.
In the meantime, I'll run stress tests on the CPU overnight (7h) and see what it spits out.

Thanks for the quick reply.

 

[bjornljs]

SF Diagnostic Zip and initial hardware tests

Update! (A lot of this info is now also edited into my Opening Post)
First things first:
I've now uploaded the SF Diagnostic Tools minidump-zip (bjornljs.zip)

Tests:
I ran a Prime95 CPU stress-test overnight (about 8h) and it came out just fine. 0 errors, 0 alerts.
I ran a quick memtest86+ as well (2 hours) and it didn't show any errors. I'll run a proper (7+ hours) tonight as well.

PSU
My current PSU is a Corsair 620 HX Modular Power Supply. I think it's about 3-4 years old.
I have an older PSU at ~500W in a storage room, can dig it up if required.

I filled out the form (Power Supply Calculator) as requested and it recommended at least 464W.

I've also had a look at all the cables and capacitors.
All cables are firmly connected and I can't see any bulging or leaking capacitors.
There is one capacitor that looks to be 3-5 degrees leaning, but just slightly. It's close to one of the SATA ports. It doesn't look to be banged up or anything, it just looks to be ever so slightly... tilted.

Overall: My components are visibly fine and the inside of my case looks good. It's a pretty huge case (Corsair 600GT) with lots of space and fans. I did some extra cleaning of with compressed air as well. Not a lot of dust as far as I can see.
My CPU is idling around 30°C and never goes over 50°C during full load (Prime95).

I'll run some extra tests (Furmark etc) later today.

Also, this is my current rig:
ASUS P8Z68-V Pro/Gen3
Intel i5-2500K 3,3 Ghz
2x Corsair Dominator Vengeance 1600 Mhz Cl9
GIGABYTE Radeon HD 7870 2GB GDDR5
Intel® SSD 520 Series 120GB 2.5"
Western Digital Caviar® Green 2TB

OS is installed on the SSD. Program, documents etc on the HDD (Western Digital).
The PSU is as mention a Corsair 620W HX Modular.

 

[bjornljs]

Update:
I've now also run a full night's memtest86+ without any errors.
I've also run a blended Prime95 test for 7 hours without any errors.
I've also run a 3DMark test and scored 4983 which, despite being a little low, showed no real errors.
AMD Radeon HD 7870 video card benchmark result - Intel Core i5-2500K Processor,ASUSTeK Computer INC. P8Z68-V PRO GEN3

I'd really appreciate if someone could have a look at my minidump-files (SF Diagnostics, see above) and point me in the right direction?

Thank you in advance.

 

[YoYo155]

Hi bjornljs .

I've asked for screenshots not only for the temperature reading but also for the main Voltage values.
Please use HWinfo and post a Screenshots of the sensors window, a couple, scrolling down
to capture the entire window.

Apart from that all of the bugchecks are of a consistent error.

Error Type    : [COLOR=Red][U]Cache error[/U]
[/COLOR]Operation     : [COLOR=Red][U]Generic[/U][/COLOR]

Descriptor    @ fffffa800d2a6138
Section       @ fffffa800d2a62c0
Offset        : 664
Length        : 264
Flags         : 0x00000000
Severity      : Fatal

Error         : [COLOR=Red][U]GCACHEL2_ERR_ERR[/U][/COLOR] (Proc 0 Bank 5)
  Status      : 0xbe2000000005110a
  Address     : 0x00000000b010e340
  Misc.       : 0x000000d082008086

Usually this means that the CPU / power delivery to it is malfunctioning, please run the system
using the iGPU (onboard graphics) for a while and see how it holds if it still crashes keep using the iGPU
but try the other PSU and report back.